From WesTexas@aol.com  Sun Aug  3 18:59:41 2003
From: WesTexas@aol.com (WesTexas@aol.com)
Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2003 13:59:41 EDT
Subject: [Culturechat] =?UTF-8?Q?Check=20out=20"TIME.com:=20Where=20the=20Good=20Jobs=20?=
 =?UTF-8?Q?Are=20Going=20--=20Aug.=E2=80=A6"?=
Message-ID: <9d.3cc538de.2c5ea78d@aol.com>

(Is this happening in Europe too?) J. Brown

Click Here: <A 
HREF="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101030804-471198,00.html">TIME.com: Where the Good Jobs Are Going -- Aug.…</A>

Excerpt:
<<But more and more of the jobs that are moving abroad today are highly 
skilled and highly paid — the type that U.S. workers assumed would always remain at 
home. Instead Maglione is one of thousands of Americans adjusting to the 
unsettling new reality of work. "If I can get another three years in this 
industry, I'll be fortunate," he says. Businesses are embracing offshore outsourcing 
in their drive to stay competitive, and almost any company, whether in 
manufacturing or services, can find some part of its work that can be done off site. 
By taking advantage of lower wages overseas, U.S. managers believe they can cut 
their overall costs 25% to 40% while building a more secure, more focused 
work force in the U.S. Labor leaders — and nonunion workers, who make up most of 
those being displaced — aren't buying that rationale. "How can America be 
competitive in the long run sending over the very best jobs?" asks Marcus 
Courtney, president of the Seattle-based Washington Alliance of Technology Workers. "I 
don't see how that helps the middle class."

On the other side of the world, though, educated Indian workers are quickly 
adjusting to their new status as the world's most sought-after employees. They 
have never been more confident and optimistic — as Americans usually like to 
think of themselves. For now, at least, in ways both tangible and emotional, 
educated Americans and Indians are trading places.>>


From jclancy@billtrak.com  Tue Aug 12 05:23:23 2003
From: jclancy@billtrak.com (Gerald J. Clancy, Jr.)
Date: Tue, 12 Aug 2003 00:23:23 -0400
Subject: [Culturechat] Copenhagen
Message-ID: <5.1.0.14.2.20030812002214.00b1d368@mail.njd.xo.com>

Interesting article on evolving Copenhagen.

http://www.cnn.com/2003/TRAVEL/DESTINATIONS/08/10/copenhagen.facelift.ap/index.html

Jerry


From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch  Sat Aug 16 13:26:36 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (VCR)
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 14:26:36 +0200
Subject: [Culturechat] CH factoid
Message-ID: <3F3E22FC.10207@dplanet.ch>

The Swiss estimate that 80,000 children in CH suffer from enuresis.  10% 
of these are over 6 years old and 6 % are over 10 years in age.

1% of the adult population suffers from the same thing.

-- 
Vance Roy 
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.			
      ---General George Patton	



From maginnisone@hotmail.com  Sat Aug 16 16:21:38 2003
From: maginnisone@hotmail.com (Barbara Palmer)
Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2003 10:21:38 -0500
Subject: [Culturechat] CH factoid
Message-ID: <Sea1-F51SOzNCWbzwWJ0000abce@hotmail.com>

Recommend that they eat a slice of bread with only salt on it when they go 
to bed.  That's what cured me of the problem when I was a child.   Then 
there won't be so many sheets flapping in the breeze every day..
Barb Palmer

_________________________________________________________________
Tired of spam? Get advanced junk mail protection with MSN 8. 
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail


From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch  Mon Aug 18 15:53:37 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (VCR)
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 16:53:37 +0200
Subject: [Culturechat] Oh Boy! What a weekend!
Message-ID: <3F40E871.5080702@dplanet.ch>

Things are jumping in The Heartland, if this weekend's activities are 
any indication.

1. In Dallenwill near Stans, there was a snuff sniffing contest. Fifty 
four men and women took part in seeing who could get the most snuff up 
one or both nostrils. Some used tricks such as Vaseline up the nose to 
hold the snuff while others just went au natural. It seems that there 
are snuff clubs all over. The winners were a husband wife team. Don't 
you know that there must be a lot of sneezing in that household?

2. In Luzern, 291 people of ages between 11 and 70 swam from the Richard 
Wagner Museum across the lake to the public beach.

3. Last, and perhaps most unusual, two artists adorned 124 "models" 
(many recruited from the local beaches in Luzern) with coats of abstract 
body paint designs. The models were then arranged to form a Picasso like 
painting. These women were all topless but did wear underwear below. 
 From the picture in the paper, body paint will never replace bras.


-- 
Vance Roy 
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.			
      ---General George Patton	



From WesTexas@aol.com  Thu Aug 21 20:50:02 2003
From: WesTexas@aol.com (WesTexas@aol.com)
Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 15:50:02 EDT
Subject: [Culturechat] Fwd: [Energyforum] Good Clip on Germany
Message-ID: <155.231fc599.2c767c6a@aol.com>

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(We desperately need to increase the supply of electricity from windpower.   
Among other reasons, China's demand for oil is skyrocketing.  Their imports 
are currently doubling every 2.5 years.   Fairly soon, oil consumers are going 
to have to start bidding against each other remaining oil supplies).  

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Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2003 14:03:15 -0400
Subject: [Energyforum] Good Clip on Germany
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Germany Leads the World in Alternative Energy
By JANET L. SAWIN New Internationalist (08-19-03)

Berkeley Daily Planet
Edition Date: Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Clusters of tall white wind turbines spin gracefully atop green hillsides.=20
Solar photovoltaics (PVs) are integrated into windows and rooftops of=20
modern homes, factories and office blocks. Even the old renovated seat of=20
government is fitted with solar panels.

A utopian fancy? No, just Germany today. Remarkable considering that in=20
1990 Germany had virtually no renewable-energy industry and appeared an=20
unlikely candidate for it. Utility monopolies, entrenched nuclear and coal=20
industries and a general conservatism made Germany appear barren ground for=20
renewable-energy advocates.

Joschen Twele, a wind-energy expert recalls: 'When I started my job in wind=20
energy [in the 1980s] I thought it had only a chance in remote areas of=20
developing countries. So I concentrated on Africa.'

Yet by the end of the 1990s, Germany had transformed itself into a=20
renewable-energy leader. With a fraction of the wind and solar resources of=20
the U.S., Germany now has almost three times as much installed wind=20
capacity (38 percent of global capacity) and is a world leader in solar=20
photovoltaics as well.

And it has created a new, multibillion-dollar industry and tens of=20
thousands of new jobs. The German wind industry now employs more people=20
than nuclear power (an industry that provides 30 percent of the nation's=20
electricity) without a commensurate increase in electricity costs.

Germany now generates 4.5 per cent of its electricity with the wind and=20
appears on track to meet government targets of 25 per cent by 2025. The=20
government also considers solar photovoltaics an option for future=20
large-scale power generation.

What's more, the government recently pledged to reduce its carbon dioxide=20
emissions to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, much of this to be=20
achieved by switching to renewable energy. Not quite the 60 percent many=20
climate-change experts say is required worldwide, but vastly more=20
impressive than commitments made thus far under the Kyoto Protocol.

How has Germany done it?

The main obstacles that keep renewables from producing more than a small=20
share of energy in most of the world are lack of access to the transmission=20
grid, high up-front costs, lack of information, and biased, inappropriate=20
and inconsistent government policies.

Germany's dramatic success has been achieved through a combination of=20
consistent, ambitious policies designed to address these barriers and=20
create a market for renewable energy. These policies were driven by the=20
public's rising concerns about global climate change, risks associated with=20
nuclear power, and a need to reduce dependence on imported fuels.

Most significant has been the grid access and standard pricing law, enacted=20
in 1991 and inspired by effective Danish policies. Under this law,=20
renewable energy producers receive above-market payments for power they=20
feed into the grid and the costs are shared among all electricity consumers=20
in Germany. These preferential payments for renewables are not considered=20
subsidies, but means of internalizing the social and environmental costs of=20
conventional energy and providing compensation for the benefits of renewable=
s.

But some barriers remained. For example, as the number of wind turbines=20
skyrocketed in some regions, local opposition and lengthy, complex siting=20
procedures had the effect of stalling the development of new projects. The=20
government responded by encouraging communities to zone specific areas for=20
wind energy--a step that addressed concerns such as noise and aesthetic=20
impacts and assured prospective turbine owners that they would find sites=20
for their machines.

To address the start-up costs barrier, the German government has offered=20
long-term, low-interest loans and income tax credits to projects and=20
equipment that meet specified standards.

These initiatives have drawn billions of dollars to the renewable energy=20
industry, while technology standards have reduced risk and created=20
confidence by keeping out substandard machinery. The government has also=20
promoted awareness of renewable technologies and available subsidies=20
through publications and training programs.

Such rock-solid policies ended uncertainties about whether producers could=20
sell their electricity into the grid and at what price. They also provided=20
investor confidence--attracting investment money and making it easier for=20
even small renewable power producers to obtain bank loans. Germans from=20
diverse backgrounds and income levels have been able to invest in renewable=20
energy projects, leading to a surge in installed capacity and associated=20
jobs, and reinforcing political support.

Increased investment has also driven improvements in technology, advanced=20
learning and experience, and produced economies of scale resulting in=20
dramatic cost reductions. Between 1990 and 2000 the average cost of=20
manufacturing wind turbines in Germany fell by 43 percent. Between 1992 and=20
2001, PV capacity experienced an average annual growth rate of nearly 49=20
percent. German PV manufacturers plan to expand their facilities=20
significantly over the coming years to meet rapidly rising demand, a step=20
that will further reduce costs and increase employment.

Germany has demonstrated not only that it is possible for renewable energy=20
increasingly to meet the energy needs of industrialized society but also=20
that the transition to a more sustainable energy future can happen rapidly=20
with political will and the right policies. To begin with, policies must be=20
consistent and long-term. On-and-off policies in the US have created market=20
cycles of boom and bust, making it difficult to develop strong domestic=20
industries. As a result, the U.S. is the only country where total=20
wind-generating capacity has actually declined in some years.

Market creation must also be prioritized. Germany began funding research=20
and development of renewable energy in the 1970s but saw little commercial=20
development until market incentives were enacted two decades later. Today=20
at least 300 companies are involved in supplying solar panels. Last year=20
Germans installed more than 2,000 new wind projects, all of them feeding=20
into the grid. It is estimated that more than 100,000 Germans own shares in=20
wind energy projects, while many own shares in solar PV and other renewable=20
projects as well.

The issue of who owns the production and distribution of electricity is=20
highly significant. When a nation's electric system is centralized and=20
utility-owned, power is concentrated in the hands of a few, both literally=20
and politically. In the U.S., for example, some of the most politically=20
powerful voices are those of the various energy-related industries. But=20
when almost anyone can be an energy producer, as in Germany, the public can=20
play a greater role in decision making, creating a more democratic society.

Renewables now generate eight percent of Germany's electricity and the=20
country has nearly two-fifths of the world's wind capacity. But the share=20
of total wind capacity owned by large companies is also rising, as the=20
sizes of machines and projects--and thus costs--increase.

The advantages of shifting away from conventional energy and towards=20
greater reliance on renewables are numerous and enormous: climate=20
stability, air quality, health, job creation, political and economic=20
security, to name but a few. Renewable energy also offers models for=20
diverse and democratic ways of producing, buying and selling power. Yet=20
change is never easy and there are strong forces globally--including=20
politically powerful industries--that wish to maintain the status quo.=20
While resistance to change is inevitable, the world cannot afford to be=20
held back by those who are wedded to energy systems of the past.

Janet L Sawin is an energy and climate change writer and researcher based=20
at the Worldwatch Institute in Washington DC.


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From gigli.saw@dplanet.ch  Mon Aug 25 18:57:32 2003
From: gigli.saw@dplanet.ch (VCR)
Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2003 19:57:32 +0200
Subject: [Culturechat] Money over the area
Message-ID: <3F4A4E0C.5000908@dplanet.ch>

Everyone knows that CH can expensive. Compared to Oslo and Tokyo, it 
isn't so bad. Tokyo was recently supplanted by Oslo as the most 
expensive city in the world. Hong Kong and New York are close behind. 
Employees in Oslo, Copenhagen, Basel, and Zurich are the highest paid in 
the world. While Zurich is the 5th highest cost city, a worker has to 
only work 14 minutes to buy a Bg Mac. Why a Big Mac? Because it is sold 
around the world and a comparison is much easier than a "basket of 
goods" in which there are itens not found locally in all countries.

To buy a Big Mac takes 14 minutes of work in Zurich, 50 minutes in Riga, 
Latvia, and a whopping 3 hours in kenya.

People frequently comment on the standard of living in CH. If you get a 
high salary and have great purchasing power, that makes it happen.

-- 
Vance Roy 
gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.			
      ---General George Patton	



From HT@untours.com  Tue Aug 19 22:51:57 2003
From: HT@untours.com (Hal Taussig)
Date: Tue, 19 Aug 2003 17:51:57 -0400
Subject: [Culturechat] Oh Boy! What a weekend!
In-Reply-To: <3F40E871.5080702@dplanet.ch>
Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20030819164347.01dbc7e0@postoffice.dca.net>

Vance's account of the snuff contest in Dallenwil reminds me of a festival 
I attended in nearby Wolfenschiessen in 1976--our first full year in 
operation. I went with a small covey of Untourists when part of our 
orientation was an escorted trip to a festival. (This practice still 
continues in a modified form.) The festival featured a log-sawing 
contest---a sawdust covered "arena" in which about four sawhorses were 
placed, a log about ten foot long and one foot in diameter on each 
sawhorse. A contestant on one end of the log competed only with the guy on 
the other end.  They sawed the log twice, exchanging ends after the first 
cutting was complete.The one who finished the second cutting first was kept 
in the competition, the one who finished last was eliminated. Now, as you 
might imagine, log-sawing isn't exactly a spectator sport. But for me one 
particular contest was spell-binding. One of our clients was a recent 
graduate of Westpoint, a big, athletic guy--who asked us if he could 
participate in the contest. We approached the organizers who consented 
readily to his being a contestant. When his turn came up he was paired with 
a grey-haired man who smoked a pipe. (I think I remember this pipe 
remaining in his mouth for the entire contest.) The Westpoint guy counted 
on his strength, the Swiss man seemed to rely on his equanimity. Half way 
through the first log, our American was far ahead. During the sawing of the 
last half of the first  log, the American's pace began to slow. What had 
seemed like a slow pace seemed less slow, though actually the pace remained 
absolutely unchanged. Our guy finished ahead of the Swiss guy--but not by 
much--on the first cut.. And you've guessed it. During the sawing of the 
second half, the young athlete  tried to keep up by simply adding muscle, 
pushing the saw harder and harder, at first just to keep up with 
his  opponent> His very strength made his it begin to buckle and then to 
jam on him. The Swiss  man won handily. And the Westpoint guy told me 
afterward, "I was so tired, I wanted--so badly-- to quit, but seeing that 
my competition was an old man, I was ashamed to do so." There are probably 
several morals in the story, but the point I'm making is the same one Vance 
made. The Swiss have a myriad of  fascinating aspects to their culture, 
including a lot of weird contests contests. In a recent consultation I had 
with the editor of "Welcome to Switzerland, " the calendar of events which 
Swiss Untourists receive the day they arrive we mutually agreed that a 
special emphasis on uniquely Swiss events--only somewhat less odd than 
snuff-contests.

At 04:53 PM 8/18/03 +0200, VCR wrote:
>Things are jumping in The Heartland, if this weekend's activities are any 
>indication.
>
>1. In Dallenwill near Stans, there was a snuff sniffing contest. Fifty 
>four men and women took part in seeing who could get the most snuff up one 
>or both nostrils. Some used tricks such as Vaseline up the nose to hold 
>the snuff while others just went au natural. It seems that there are snuff 
>clubs all over. The winners were a husband wife team. Don't you know that 
>there must be a lot of sneezing in that household?
>
>2. In Luzern, 291 people of ages between 11 and 70 swam from the Richard 
>Wagner Museum across the lake to the public beach.
>
>3. Last, and perhaps most unusual, two artists adorned 124 "models" (many 
>recruited from the local beaches in Luzern) with coats of abstract body 
>paint designs. The models were then arranged to form a Picasso like 
>painting. These women were all topless but did wear underwear below. From 
>the picture in the paper, body paint will never replace bras.
>
>
>--
>Vance Roy gigli.saw@dplanet.ch
>http://homepage.mac.com/fredch
>Success is how high you bounce when you hit bottom.
>      ---General George Patton
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>This message was sent by Culturechat.
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>Culturechat@untours.com
>
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>http://mailman.dca.net/pipermail/culturechat/
>
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>visit:
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From HT@untours.com  Fri Aug  1 18:52:32 2003
From: HT@untours.com (Hal Taussig)
Date: Fri, 01 Aug 2003 13:52:32 -0400
Subject: [Culturechat] Denmark: A Case Study in Social Democracy
 (From Mises Inst...
In-Reply-To: <126.2e0f785c.2c53f38c@aol.com>
Message-ID: <4.2.0.58.20030729140451.02122670@postoffice.dca.net>

Thanks, J, for mentioning the fact that despite our politics, I and my 
colleagues do a first class job servicing customers. That's what economics 
is about in the final analysis. The Scandinavian "welfare states" are good 
capitalists in that they produce goods and services efficiently-- an 
impressive growing economy for  fifty years.You and I probably define 
capitalism differently. But our differences probably do not constitute an 
enlightening debate for culturechat. On the other hand, I do like your idea 
of discussing Danish wind power. There are quite a few areas like this, 
usually thought of as environmental issues, where we could emulate 
Scandinavian . Another example, there is a fairly substantial use of 
compost toilets in Sweden--in upper class areas of the suburbs. Because 
sewerage is a big factor corrupting drinking water in developing countries, 
I expect to be involved in an attempt to capitalize small entrepreneurs who 
will make and sell compost toilets. This is a way to make capitalists out 
of many people--and eventually give hundreds of thousands a chance to drink 
clean water. (The toilets we plan to use have been designed and perfected 
in Sweden.) Both your topic and mine may be too esoteric to involve a big 
discussion; but it might provoke a general interest in Scandinavian 
culture. And maybe it will lap over into the practical travel issues, 
possibly prompting us to move the possibility of starting a Danish 
(Scandinavian) Untour from the back to the front burner.
Hal
At 11:09 AM 7/26/03 -0400, WesTexas@aol.com wrote:
>Mr. Hansen, a Danish professor, referenced a serious proposal by three
>economists from the Danish Economic Council that the Danish government 
>restrict
>emigration of young people (young taxpayers).  I have posted the relevant 
>portion
>of the article below.   Obviously, Denmark is not East Germany; however, the
>Danes themselves are talking about proceeding down a path that would 
>ultimately
>result in the Danish version of a Berlin Wall--which is exactly how Professor
>Hansen described it.
>
>In regard to the quality of life issue, I have absolutely no doubt that a
>majority of Danes are satisfied with their welfare state.  However, a 
>majority of
>Danes either work for the government, or receive government benefits.   An
>interesting poll would be one that asked the minority (those paying the 
>bills)
>if they were satisfied with the welfare state versus one that asked the
>majority (those being supported by the minority) if they were satisfied 
>with the
>welfare state.
>
>In general, the European welfare states are facing two major problems:  (1)
>demographics (too many retired people and too few young taxpayers, with the
>situation getting worse with time) and (2)  their labor costs are too high 
>(also
>with the situation getting worse with time).   In the U.S., we of course are
>facing the same problems, but not to the same degree as Europe.
>
>In Germany for example, the payroll tax (for social benefits, paid by both
>employer and employee) has gone from about 20% in the early Sixties to 
>about 42%
>today.   Companies simply can't pay these labor costs and be competitive, so
>they are leaving, or at least not expanding.  Young people can't find 
>jobs, so
>they are also tempted to leave (thus, the suggestion that Denmark restrict
>emigration).   This results in a downward spiral of fewer and fewer taxpayers
>and more and more people receiving government benefits (again, the "solution"
>occurs to some to restrict emigration).
>
>Hal actually provided a real life example of this situation.  One of the
>primary reasons he gave for being hesitant about expanding to Denmark was 
>because
>of the high costs.  If Hal does elect to do an Untours to Copenhagen, I think
>that it would be a good idea to set up some type of panel discussion for the
>Untourists, where the parties could discuss the pros and cons of the welfare
>state.  I also think that it would be a good idea to study the progress that
>Denmark has made in starting to convert to wind power--perhaps the Danes 
>could
>make the good citizens of Cape Cod see the advantages of wind power.
>
>(By the way, I don't think that Hal and I agree on much politically, but I
>think that Hal, and his staff, run a first class organization and provide a
>valuable service).
>
>In closing, if things are so wonderful in Denmark, why do serious people even
>find it necessary to discuss restricting emigration?  Perhaps there is
>something rotten in Denmark after all (sorry, I couldn't resist).
>
>J. Brown
>
>Excerpt from Hansen article:
>
><<One option for young people is to leave. It was recently proposed by one of
>
>the three economists from the Danish Economic Council that if young people
>
>in Denmark wish to move abroad after they have completed their education,
>
>they should first have to pay back the costs of their education. Only when
>
>they have paid enough taxes to cover all the expenses of their education,
>
>would they be able to move abroad without having to pay the government
>
>first.  Thus do we have proposed the social-democratic version of the Berlin
>Wall,
>
>an economic barrier to prevent emigration so that the state can continue to
>
>tax people to sustain a system that is unraveling. The mere suggestion is a
>
>telling sign that Denmark has nearly reached the end of the road.>>
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